Madonna drops new song Popular with The Weeknd and Playboi Carti: Listen
"I just want to come into her world and create a classic Madonna album" says The Weeknd.
Madonna has made a surprise appearance on a new song from The Weeknd, taken from the star’s upcoming TV show The Idol.
‘Popular‘, which was released today (Friday 2 June 2023), also features Playboi Carter.
The track, taken from The Idol soundtrack, describes a woman dreaming of being “popular” and is seemingly inspired by Lily Rose-Depp’s character in the HBO series.
“I’ve seen the devil down Sunset, in every place, in every face”
Madonna’s lyrics on the song include: “I’ve seen the devil down Sunset, in every place, in every face.”
Elsewhere, she sings: “Spend my whole life running’ from your flashing’ lights” and “you can’t take my soul without a fuckin’ fight.”
A visualiser for the song uploaded to YouTube today features the cast of The Idol, which co-stars Troye Sivan. In it, the actors – including Rose-Depp, who plays troubled pop star Jocelyn – are seen at the Cannes Film Festival.
“The ultimate co-sign”
Speaking in an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 this week, the Weeknd said: “We’ve had a different version of this song prior. So I’ve had these vocals for a while and I’ve kind of just worked around it, and then kind of kept it in the tuck. But now it felt like it was time.”
He described Madonna as “the ultimate co-sign for this song.”
“I’ve always wanted to work with her,” he furthermore added. “I’ve always wanted to write and produce a Madonna album… Well, co-produce with her, of course. She’s a visionary and she has such a singular vision. And I just want to come into her world and create a classic Madonna album. That was always my dream. Hopefully this is the appetizer for that.”
The show debuts on 4 June. The Weeknd has previously released the Future-featuring song ‘Double Fantasy‘ from show’s soundtrack.
‘Popular’ precedes Madonna’s upcoming single with Sam Smith, named ‘Vulgar‘, and out on 9 June.
It also precedes the star’s 12th concert tour, Madonna: The Celebration Tour, kicking off on 15 July 2023 in Vancouver.